Tree

Dear Diogenes--

I just texted Martine -- who was describing artwork by Byron Kim (which I haven’t seen) wherein he paints clouds and lines of diaristic text over them -- the following:

<<thinking about “sunday painting” as you described it. i so like the idea of a quotidian art that nonetheless transcends itself. hard to think how to do it. was about to put on my “werk” playlist and there was mal waldron, who makes composition from ‘vamps,’ or so ive heard it described. im thinking of a fiction made only of letters to imagined friends, maybe something like jack spicer’s letters to lorca... i’ve ideas like this but continue just to drift>>

So maybe this will be one of them. (Maybe I’ll add it to the previous one I sent and it’ll begin a new book. All to say this is a piece of fiction I’m sharing with you -- all fiction except for the love part.)

When we met two days ago in front of the library (on Beckett’s birthday), I said I felt like I didn’t have any more novels in me, you responded so confidently and quickly that of course I did. A spontaneous response I realize just now by writing this letter I’ve been carrying with me and want to tell you I’m grateful for it, for you.

Just went back and read Spicer’s 2nd letter to Lorca.

»I yell "Shit" down a cliff at the ocean. Even in my lifetime the immediacy of that word will fade. It will be dead as "Alas." But if I put the real cliff and the real ocean into the poem, the word "Shit" will ride along with them, travel the time-machine until cliffs and oceans disappear.

Also I wanted to thank you for the 3 books. I started the archery one last night. (That copy of Manhattan Transfer I think the most beautiful thing I’ve gotten from the award.)

And thank you for taking me to the meeting. I liked during her share when she spoke about looking at a tree, sober.
I’ve been working on the first step, which you carefully told me was, in its entirety: Tree.

Have been thinking of sign offs, eg
Yours, truly,
Onwards,
Like and subscribe,
Warmest regards,
Sincerely,
Love,
but today I’ll go with

Until we meet again,

Jane